Ore-concentrator.



PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.

J. G. KIRKSEY.

ORE OONCBNTRATOR.

'APPLIGATION FILED APR.17, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Witnesses:

Attorneys.

No. 821,874. PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.

- G. KIRKSBJY.

ORE UONGBYINKTRMZOR.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Witnesses: v nventor,

Attorney PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.

J. G. KIR-KSEY. ORE OONCENTRATOR. APPLICATION FILED APR.17, 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.'

i r Attorneys.

ANDREW. a. GRAHAM cu. PHOYO-LVYHOGHAPHERS WASMNGYON. uv c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29, 1906.

Apnlioation filed April 1'7, 1905. Serial No. 266.002.

.[0 all 'LUhOT/b it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN GrDEoN KIRK- SEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Carthage, in the county of Jasper and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Ore-Concentrator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to concentrators.

The objects of the invention are to provide a novel form of machine adapted for accurate sizing or classification of ores in mining plants or for grain or other material requiring such treatment which shall have large capacity and which shall insure a more thorough progressive separation of the finer from the coarser materials, the arrangement of the mechanism being such that comparatively small floor-space and vertical height will be required to accommodate the machine.

A further object is to provide a machine adapted for the purposes described that may be operated with small power, shall include few wearing parts, and these so constructed and disposed as to permit repairs at slight cost and with a minimum loss of time, and generally to improve and simplify and increase the efficiency of machines of this character.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of an ore-separator, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a view in perspective, partly in sectlon, of a machine constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a view in vertical longitudinal section through the screen-box. Fig. 3 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the screenboX. Fig. 4 is a view in vertical transverse section through the apparatus. Fig. 5 is a view in horizontal section of part of the apparatus. Fig. 6 is a perspective detail view of a part of the apparatus. Fig. 7 is a perspec tive detail view of one of the screen-supporting toggles.

The su porting-frame of the apparatus is composed of four suitably-connected basebeams 1, 2, 3, and 4, four vertical cornerbeams 5, 6, 7, and 8, secured at their lower ends to the base-beams, four horizontal beams 9, 10, 11, and 12, secured near the upper ends of the vertical beams, and two supporting-beams 13 and 14, connected in any preferred manner with vertical beams points adjacent to their lower ends. To brace the frame against vibrations, tie-rods 15 may be employed at the upper and lower end portions of the frame. The form of frame herein shown and described is one that has been found thoroughly effective for the purposes designed; but it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the precise construction shown, as any other style of frame suited to the purpose may be employed and still be within the scope of the invention.

Mounted for horizontal reciprocatory and vertical rocking movements between the vertieal beams is a screen-box comprising sides 16, ends 17, and a plurality of partitions 18,

suitably secured to the sides, the top and The ends 17 bottom of the box being open. in conjunction with the partitions 18, form a plurality of compartments 19, 20, 21, and 22, and each compartment has its lower end closed by a flooring 23, which is constructed 'of boards of suitable width nailed or otherwise secured to beams 24, of which, as shown in Fig. 4, there are two employed, one in each. side of the screen-box, and are supported at: their lower ends upon battens or cleats 25,

which are secured, respectively, to the ends 17 and on each side of the partitions 18, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The battens or cleats progressively decrease in height from the feed end F of the screen-box to its discharge end D, thereby causing the successive sections of flooring in the compartments to be disposed on a downward angle, the pitch of which will be determined by the character of the material to be handled or the speed at which it is desired to cause the machine to operate.

As shown in Fig. 2, all of the floors of the different compartments are pitched at the same angle; but each occupies a different plane, the series being arranged in step order and the 'flooring in the compartment 19 being arranged above the floor in the compartment 20 a height equal to the thickness of the floor, and so on throughout the series. The object of this arrangement is to cause each of the successive screens 26, 27, 28, and 29 to oc cupy a plane coincident with the upper side of the flooring in the preceding compartment,

' flow of the materials from the feed end of the screen-box to its discharge end. v

Secured to the bottom or flooring of each of the compartments and parallel with the sides thereof are strips 30, of which there may be any desired number, to the upper faces of which are secured the screens, and superposed upon the strips 30 and secured thereto arestrips 31, that are triangular in cross-section and are designedto effect a more positive securing of the screens in place and also to serve as guides for directing the oversize material to a suitable point of discharge, as will presently appear. The screen 26 at the feed end of the screen-box is of the coarsest mesh, that in the next box of finer mesh, and so on throughout the series of screens, the one at the discharge end being the finest mesh, and it will be seen by this arrangementthat the carrying over from screen to screen of the fine material along with the coarser material is obviated, inasmuch as on the first screen all of the material capable of passing therethroughwill escape to the bottom of that compartment, while only the coarser oroversized material will be retained. Arranged at the lower end of each of the compartments adjacent to' the partitions 18 are oversize discharge-pipes 32, the upper ends of which are secured in triangular blocks 33, attached to the flooring and of a thickness equal to the strips 30. The pipes 32 may be secured to the blocks 33 in I any preferred manner, as by incising their upper ends and bending the portions thus separated outward to form tongues 34, as clearly shown in Fig. 6, which may be secured to the blocks in any manner, as by means of nails or screws 35. The oversize material which does not escape through the successive screens'passes down through the pipes 32 and into the troughs 36, supported by brackets 37, secured to the supporting-beams 13 and 14.

As shown in Fig. 1, there will be a trough for each of the compartments, and in order to remove the material that escapes to the troughs there is a water-supply pipe 38, that discharges into each of the troughs, as shown in Fig. 3, the upper end of the pipes being connectedwith a branch pipe 39, with which connects a pipe 40, leading to a suitable source of supply. At the discharge end of the'screen-box thereis arranged a spout or mouthpiece 41 to carry the water and ore that passes thereto to a trough (not shown) leading to a suitable point of deposit. In order to allow the material from one compartment to escape to another, each partition is provided with openings 42, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, the lower walls of which are dis'posedin alinement with the screens of the compartment into which the material is discharged, the openings being spaced apart a distance equal to the width of the blocks 33.

As will be noted by reference to Fig. 5, the apex of the blocks are disposed toward the feed end of. the machine, andthis will cause these parts to operate as dividers to split the current of downward-flowing material and force it to pass through the openings, whereby any danger of clogging will be positively obviated. While there is but one of the oversize-pipes shown as combined with each channel formed by the pairs of strips 30, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereto, as two or more of the pipes may be employed, if found necessary or de sirable, and in such event the number of discharge-openings, 42 will be correspondingly increased. n

The screen-box is supported for vertical reciprocatory and vibratory movements upon eight toggles 43, four of which are disposed adjacent to the four lower corners of the box and four adjacent to the four upper corners of the box, as shown in Fig. 1, and each toggle, as shown in Fig. 7, comprises a web portion 44 and rounded terminals 45. Arranged transversely of the frame above the beams 13 and 14 are two beams 46 and 47, the ends of which carry vertically-grooved plates 48, adapted to engage guides 49, secured to the inner sides of the vertical beams 5, 6, 7, and 8, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, to permit the beams 46 and 47 to have vertical movement. The beams 46 and 47 rest upon the upper whirls of four coiled springs 50, the lower ends of which bear upon wear-plates 51, carried by the upper faces of the beams 13 and 14, the under faces of the beams 46 and 47 being provided with similar plates 52, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, the tendency of the springs being to form cushions for the screenbox. Projecting from the sides 16 of the screen-box adjacent to-each end are four lugs 53, to the upper and under sides of which, respectively, are secured bearing-plates 54, and to the under sides of the beams 9 and 1 1 and the upper sides of the beams 46 and 47 are secured similar bearing-plates 55, the recesses in the bearing-plates being adapted to receive the terminals of the eight toggles 43, as shown in Fig. 1. By this arrangement it will be seen that the screen-box will be free to vibrate longitudinally and also to have a vertical reciprocatory movement due to the difierent angular positions assumed by the toggles in the longitudinal reciprocatory movements of the box. In addition to performing the function of cushioning the screen-box the springs 50 also operate to cause the toggles positively to remain nested within the bearing-plates under the movements of the screen-box.

The means for imparting reciprocatory movements to the screen-box comprises a pitman 56, Fig. 2, one end of which is suitably j ournaled to a yoke 57, bolted toa beam 58, secured to the feed end of the box and the first partition, the free end of the pitman being rovided with an eccentric-strap 59,

' whic is engaged by an eccentric 60, carried by'a shaft 61, mounted in suitable journalbearings 62, supported at the feed end of the frame and carrying drive-pulleys 63 and 64, respectively, driven from a suitable source of power, (not necessary to be shown,) one of the pulleys being fast upon the shaft and the other loose, as usual. The eccentric is by preference adjustably connected to the shaft whereby to vary its throw, as it may be found necessary or desirable. While it will generally be preferred to employ an eccentric to actuate the pitman, it will be understood that a crank may be substituted therefor, and as this will be readily understood de tailed illustration thereof is deemed unnecessary.

By the employment of the toggles it will be seen that the initial movement of the screenbox toward the feed end of the machine will be more rapid when the toggles are passing through the first part of the arc than when at a lesser angle, and this movement is quicker than the action of gravity, so that the screen constantly leaves the material, which thereby falls ata lower level on the screen, thus hastening the travel of the material toward the discharge, and, further, prevents the material from dragging or scouring along the screen, whereby the meshes of the screencloth will always be open and clear, so that the finer materials will positively be separated from the coarser throughout the entire operation of the machine, the coarser materials being discharged down oversize-pipes in the manner described.

The operation of the machine is certain and rapid and will with a minimum of ower secure the results defined. Moreover, y the peculiar motion given to the materials wear on the screens is reduced to a minimum, so that their life is measurably increased.

While the arrangement of mechanisms herein shown has been found thoroughly effective for the purposes defined, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the precise assemblage exhibited, as various changes as to location and proportion of difierent parts may be resorted to and still be within the scope of the invention.

It is to be understood that the actuating mechanism herein described is capable of being used in connection with a single screen, or one having only a single compartment, equally as well as with a plurality of screens and compartments.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is g 1. In a concentrator, a screen-box provided with a plurality of compartments each having an inclined floor, and all of the floors being disposed in like planes, spacin -strips secured to each of the floors, screens 0 different mesh secured to the spacing-strips, an oversize discharge-pipe arranged at the lower end of each compartment, and a triangular material-divider. combined with each of the pipes.

2. In a concentrator, a screen-box provided with a plurality of transverse partitions each having a plurality of openings, an inclined floor or bottom for each compartment, spacing-strips having their opposed faces arranged in alinement with the openings, screens secured to the spacing-strips, and oversize disc harge-pipes disposed at the lower ends of the compartments.

' 3. In a concentrator, the combination with a supporting-frame, of a screen-box provided withoutward-projecting lugs near each end thereof, spring-pressed beams disposed beneath the box, and toggle members engaging the lugs, spring-pressed beams, and a plural ity of the frame-bars.

4. In aconcentrator, the combination with a screen-box provided with a plurality of compartments, each having screens of different mesh, an oversize discharge-pipe arranged near the lower end of each compartment, a triangular material-divider combined with each of the pipes and having its apex disposed toward the feed end of the box, and means for imparting longitudinal reciprocatory and vertical oscillatory movements to the box.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN GIDEON KIRKSEY. 

